Granted, there are some out there who've been dodging the whole "limitation" aspect of Netflix's Watch Instantly feature for a good while, but for the honest, upstanding citizens abiding by the rules, things are (seemingly) about to change for the better. According to a recent report from the AP, Netflix is gearing up to banish the time limits for online streaming on all but its el cheapo $4.99 plan, meaning that subscribers to every other plan will be able to watch online content as much as they'd like. In case you haven't connected the dots quite yet, it's being suggested that the move will be made to fend off the looming competition from Cupertino, and while this would undoubtedly increase costs, it doesn't seem as if the firm plans on hiking rates (at least initially) to compensate. Now that's a change we can live with.

Forget 200Mbps powerline home networking -- and don't even mention your poky 85Mbps setup -- because industry leader DS2 has just made all current gear obsolete with its introduction of technology that will enable 400Mbps theoretical speeds over standard electrical wiring. Capable of pushing five simultaneous video streams, the zippy new tech will be key for applications such as PVR networking and multi-room HD IPTV, and should start appearing in "next generation" devices slated for 2009. Luckily 400Mbps products will actually be backwards compatible with 200Mbps gear according to DS2, meaning that you should be able to reuse some of your existing adapters and extenders instead of relegating them to the gadget graveyard.

Without getting overly dramatic, word on the street is that Building B, a new-fangled startup based in Belmont, California, has developed an internet video "God box" which will allow OTA streams of traditional cable, internet video, and on-demand content without the need for a PC (i.e., directly to your 70-inch plasma television). Obviously, as the wave of internet TV steadily increases, dozens of companies are scrambling to unify the set-top, and streamline the end-user's ability to get all their content in one place -- not to mention suck up some totally righteous dough. Although Building B claims their technology will bring a heretofore unseen convergence to people's living rooms, the boys in charge have been rather tight-lipped in regards to the "forthcoming" magic unit, or services and fees that would be associated with said device. Hopefully we'll soon know what the "God box" can or can't do with your television, what kind of "plague" capabilities it will include, and if it will be compatible with Atheism.

Remember how back in the day -- before software developers got wise to this sort of thing -- you could extend the life of some shareware indefinitely by simply winding back your machine's calendar every so often? Well according to tipster "Livesunkept" (a pseudonym, we suspect), a similar jury-rigged hack is all it takes to vastly extend your monthly allotment of viewing hours for Netflix's new Watch Now streaming video service. Normally Netflix keeps track of how long you've been watching, and correlates that number to the fee you pay each month, subtracting from your bank of minutes based on your subscription level (i.e. an $18 plan might give you 18 hours of streamed viewing). Always looking for a way to beat the system, Livesunkept discovered that if you disconnect your network adapter after a given movie has finished downloading (usually 15 to 20 minutes), and then clear your cache and cookies before reconnecting it at the end of the flick, Netflix will only charge you for a few minutes of viewing time even though you rightfully owe about two hours worth of credits. Now we don't really have time to watch movies around here -- thus no Netflix / Blockbuster subscriptions -- so we haven't been able to try this workaround out for ourselves and verify that it works. That's why we have commenters. So if you're a member of the Netflix posse, please do us a favor and report back after you've given this hack a whirl -- don't tell anyone else, though, or you'll risk ruining the supposed loophole for all the hard-working cheats and cheapskates out there.

[Thanks, Livesunkept]

Twinbird is tightening their grip on the nascent waterproof media device market with this, their Link Zabady video streaming solution. Plug the included black-box transmitter into your television or DVD player via S-Video or composite connections and stream the A/V out to that splash-proof, 7-inch LCD with 480x234 resolution. The kit features a remote control and charging dock for the LCD allowing for about 2.5-hours of untethered playback while scrubbing your tomato or perhaps even polishing your apple. Good times if you don't mind watching your vids on that highly reflective screen covered in droplets as pictured above. Expected on December 1 in Japan for ¥70,000 or about $591.

[Via Impress]